At our recent Fair Housing Month webinar, we welcomed Executive Director of the Chicago Area Fair Housing Alliance Adam Ballard, who highlighted how families are using Housing Choice Vouchers to move beyond renting and into homeownership.
Watch Adam’s full presentation below, and read on for key insights into the organization and to learn more about Chicago’s Choose to own Program.
How housing choice vouchers can fund homeownership
Housing Choice Vouchers are widely seen as rental assistance — but they can do more. Chicago’s Choose to Own program allows voucher holders to apply their monthly assistance toward a mortgage instead of rent, opening a path to homeownership that many don’t know exists.
And the stakes are real.
Ballard’s research suggests that if more voucher holders became homeowners, Chicago could generate $1.3 billion in accumulated household wealth. That’s money that stays in the city, builds up families and creates generational stability for communities that have long been left out of that equation.
Chicago’s Peer Mentorship Program for voucher holders
To help close the awareness gap, the Chicago Area Fair Housing Alliance launched a peer mentorship program that connects current voucher homeowners with aspiring buyers. Mentors guide participants through the process — working with REALTORS®, understanding financing and meeting down payment requirements — from a place of lived experience.
The barrier for most voucher holders isn’t eligibility. It’s knowing this is possible at all. Mentorship turns that possibility into a plan.
The Opportunity Ahead
Chicago’s model shows what becomes possible when the right programs and the right people come together. Vouchers can move families from renting to owning and into the kind of long-term wealth building that changes lives across generations.
For REALTORS®, this is an invitation to serve a motivated, underserved group of buyers who are ready — they just need an informed agent in their corner. The opportunity is already there. Programs like Choose to Own simply make it visible. To learn more, visit Chicago Area Fair Housing Alliance.